Beginners Guide to Meditation

September 19, 2017

Today we’re talking Meditation 101!

You may already be familiar with my meditation + breath work teacher Rebeca Brau because she pops up on the S4B gram every so often. 🙂 She is truly one of the most beautiful people I have ever met, inside and out. Working with someone who is SO present and with such consciousness, magnifies this experience for me and I just feel so grateful for her!

One of the reasons why I love her teaching is that she allows me to experience and feel everything as my own experience. She does not expect me to memorize the meaning of every mantra or the names of the chakras, and she does not tell me what I may or should be experiencing during my practice. It’s all my own journey. My own visions, feelings, and sense of knowing. And as I share with her my experience after our practice (usually sprawled out on the floor in amazement), she smiles and nods, and I know from a deep inner place I am right where I should be.

My experience with this practice goes way beyond my meditation pillow. At first I was so focused on how “deep” in my meditation I would go, or the sensations I felt during it. But I soon came to realize that the most amazing part is not so much the immediate satisfactions but the shifts that are happening in me and everywhere around me. My practice appears in all aspects of my life, guiding me to a more inner sense of peace and knowing. My senses are heightened, especially touch. I am more present. I feel lighter, with more energy, and centered. I am continuing to learn how to hold this, as these sensations will come and go, but I am taking in and being open to this journey and the alignments happening in my life. I even have a running list of “universe signs” in the notes section on my phone (with like a million star and heart emojis)… and the list continues to grow each day. CRAY.

If you’re new to meditation, but uncertain of where to start, I’ve created a beginners guide that might work for you! Allow yourself to be open and trust, while also paying respect and being grateful for the practice. And remember, this is your own journey. 🙂

BEGINNERS GUIDE TO MEDITATION

here’s how to start!

SET AN INTENTION

1. I love to start my practice by setting an intention. This can be to find clarity with an issue you’re facing, let go and release something that no longer serves you, heal an emotional connection, say to food, amplify self-love, be more present in your life… the list goes on.

FORM + POSTURE

1. Grab a pillow or roll up a towel to place under you to help give support. Sit crosslegged and move your sit bones around until your are centered. Straighten your spine and keep your head facing forward. The key here is to be comfortable. 2. Place your hands lightly on your knees or thighs, palms down, with your index finger and thumb touching. This is just one of many postures you can do. 3. Relax your face muscles, your jaw, your tongue in your mouth, and even your belly. Feel yourself grounded into the floor.

GUIDED, SILENCE OR MUSIC

1. Sitting in silence is one way to meditate. But if you are a beginner it may be best to start by listening to a guided meditation. There are many meditation apps you can download for this. Check out Headspace or Simple Habit. 2. Listening to mantra music is my favorite way to meditate. Here is my personal meditation playlist on Spotify. 🙂 A go-to for me is Devi Prayer. It’s like 20 mins so a great gauge of time.

CLOSE YOUR EYES

1. Close your eyes and relax your eyeballs. Literally, relax your eyeballs. 2. Focus on the third eye, the point right between your two eyes.

QUIET THE MIND + BREATHE

1. Begin to breathe through your nose deeply and slowly into your belly but at a comfortable pace. 2. Stay focused on your breath. Picture a ball of white light (or energy) rising up your spine from your root chakra with every inhale, and back down the spine with every exhale. Pay attention to any sensations you may feel in your body. Can you feel this energy moving up and down your spine? Are any parts of you tingling with the sensation of the energy? Do you feel lighter and more elevated as you inhale deeply?

3. When you notice your thoughts wander (because they will), return back to your focus on the breath without judgement. 4. Don’t stress if you can’t quiet your mind right away or during your first few practices. This does not mean you can’t meditate. It takes some time and practice, like anything new you may try.

COMPLETE YOUR PRACTICE WITH GRATITUDE

1. You can meditate for as long as you like and feel comfortable. Some days I can barely get through 10 minutes, and other days I could go for hours. I use 20 minutes as a gauge for me, but do whatever is best for you. There is no pressure around how long your practice should be. If you want to start with 5 minutes, that’s cool too. 🙂 2. When you feel you are finished, keep your eyes closed and rub your hands together fast to create friction energy. Place your palms over your eyes and allow the energy to penetrate your eyes. Hold for as long is comfortable. 3. Complete your practice with Om, and by giving gratitude to the universe! If you have taken a yoga class, then you are most likely familiar with this. Say out loud one, Ommmmmm, while placing your hands in front of your heart, and bowing your head in gratitude.

4. Get excited!! Because you showed up! And you are on the path to making beautiful shifts within you and around you.

i LOVE THIS AND IT’S A GREAT START FOR BEGINNERS AND THOSE OF US WHO HAVEN’T MEDITATED IN AWHILE. i TRIED TO RECENTLY GET BACK INTO IT AFTER A FEW STRESSFUL MONTHS WHEN i REALLY COULD HAVE USED IT BUT TRIED AND JUST COULDN’T GET FOCUSED. nOW BETTER BUT STILL CAN’T GET TO WHERE i WAS. lIKE THE IDEA OF TAKING ANOTHER LOOK AND APPROACH SO i’M GOING TO GIVE THIS A TRY.